All Bets Are Off
by Mr. BC
Summary: The cast of So Random! all make bets who can put off their annoying habits the longest. The winner will win the total of everyone else's salary for one week, but avoiding the habits will drive the cast crazy.
1. Start Of The Bet

On a mild, breezy March afternoon, the _So Random!_ cast members were on the set rehearsing their romantic beach sketch which they had drawn out for weeks trying to get it past the planning stage.

"I'm so glad we're finally able to get this sketch underway," a cheerful Sonny said walking towards her spot in a bathing suit. "Don't you agree, Tawni?"

Tawni wasn't as enthusiastic about it as she was still unhappy about not being able to find a guy. "This romance stuff is killing me," she mumbled towards Sonny in a sad tone. An empty can of grated cheese flew past her face and onto the make-believe sand, startling her. "Hey, watch what you're doing with that cheese!" she called out to whoever flung it.

That happened to be Grady, who was on his beach towel busy consuming one meatball sub after another. "Grady, are you eating more meatball subs?" Sonny asked in a shocked manner.

"Can't resist, I love them," he replied.

As Sonny silently scoffed to herself, Nico came over in his beach gear, hopelessly occupied with his Nintendo DS, trying to complete a difficult level. Sonny was surprised by this as well.

"Nico, isn't that the twelfth time you've played that game this week?" she asked as he sat down.

"What did you say, Sonny?" he frustratingly said, snapping out of it as he hit game over.

"He's a little too consumed I think, girl," Grady said to her as Nico started a new game. Sonny started to protest again, but was cut off by Tawni.

"Anyways, where's Zora? We can't start this sketch without her."

Right on cue, she walked onto the set in a two-piece bathing suit and kiddie-pool inner tube, looking relaxed and refreshed. "Nothing like a good sleep in that sarcophagus."

"OK, people, now that we have everyone, let's start this rehearsal," Marshall called out. "In 3, 2, 1..."

The sketch was all about having fun on the beach and checking girls or guys out as summer was almost there and everyone should have fun in the sun. Midway through, though, Nico, getting angry and aggressive, started pouting and tossed sand all around.

"Nico, I think your brain's been rewired from playing that game too much!" Marshall called out to him as he got pelted with sand.

"I just need more time to beat that boss!" he replied. He got the Nintendo DS out of his pocket and showed it to everyone. "Who wants to help me?"

* * *

At the end of the day, all of the Randoms slunk into the prop room, not happy about having to rehearse the whole sketch all over again early the next day. The guys didn't care as they went right back to their game and sandwiches.

"Is it that time already?" Grady said, looking at his watch. "Time for my meatball stromboli dinner." He reached into his mini-microwave he put under the desk and heated up his latest meal.

Sonny was getting a little concerned about his health with this constant meatball diet of his. "Excuse me, Grady, but don't you feel eating too much meatball sandwiches could get you sick?"

Tawni, on the other hand, was less than sympathetic as she was annoyed by his pigging out. "I swear he's obsessed with the stuff. I saw them all over his desk and at his station." She sat down next to him in a huff. "I bet a week salary you couldn't go a lousy week without your lousy meatball subs, Grady."

"Says you," he said as he took his sandwich out and took a bite out of it.

"So prove it, Italian food boy!"

Grady certainly didn't appreciate this and he gagged on his food. "Hey, I resent that. Those types of names always hurt me, Tawni!"

"I agree, Grady," Sonny chimed in, sitting with him. "I've always wished Tawni wouldn't resort to dramatics to get a point across." Tawni didn't care too much about this, but what happened next tipped her off.

Sonny's phone beeped and her face instantly lit up when she saw who it was. "Oh look, my lovebird just texted me."

"What about you, Ms. Lovestruck?" Tawni shot back at her. "I bet a week's salary I could stop dramatizing way before you could stop associating with Chad in that sick manner."

"I think Sonny should be able to stay away from Chad indefinitely." Zora added, coming out of her sarcophagus after being in there for no apparent reason.

"HA!" Tawni was glad Zora had her back on this one. "Even the little one's got you pegged." Sonny just sat with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

On the couch, Nico continued to be wrapped up in his game and was having another hissy-fit over it. "I can't beat this stupid game! How much more work is it going to take to get it accomplished?" He turned it off in a huff and slammed it on the couch.

Grady came over and sat down with his buddy. "You know, man, you're gonna get yourself a real headache and heart attack if you keep playing this vigorously."

"What are you saying, Grady?"

"You might wanna take a long rest so that you can freshen up."

Determined, Nico agreed. "Yeah, I can give up my video game just like that. It's darn-near impossible to beat that boss so why not?"

"A week's salary on it?"

"You betcha."

The wager didn't feel complete until the youngest cast member was in on it, so Tawni called Zora over. "Think you can go a whole week without going in the vent or sarcophagus?"

Reluctantly, Zora agreed. "Sure thing, Tawni. Should be easy."

"Sounds like we got ourselves a bet!" Tawni announced. "So what do you say, everyone? You in or what?" She stuck out her hand face-down in the middle of the room.

Nico placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm in."

Grady followed suit. "I'll partake."

Zora clapped her hand on top as well. "This is gonna be a hoot!"

Sonny made the hand pile complete. "Very well then. I've done it before I can do it again."

Marshall walked by and glanced into the room with a nervous look in his eye.

"Marshall, want in on this?" Nico called to him.

"I don't even wanna know what you're up to," he replied then mumbled to himself as he walked away. "This can't be good."

"Then may the best Random win," Sonny proclaimed as the group raised their piled hands altogether. The bet was on.

**A/N: **More to come shortly.


	2. One Down, Three to Go

The next day, the bet was in full effect. In preparation, Grady opened his locker in the school hall and disposed of all his meatball recipes and ingredients. He had a smirk on his face as he was quite confident that he was going to hold off his temptation long enough to win the bet. He continued doing this as the stars of MacKenzie Falls walked by wondering what was going on.

Tawni walked by with her homework in hand, going over it as she was walking. Unfortunately for her, she bumped right into Dakota, who wasn't in a good mood.

_"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, BIKE WRECKER!"_ Dakota screamed at her as she picked up her papers which she spilled.

Never one to let an insult go by, Tawni inhaled deeply and started to shout back at her. "YOU..." But she caught herself before she could go any further. Her castmates in the vicinity peered at her like they were expecting her to take the bate. Tawni simply swallowed it and smiled at the producer's daughter. "Nice try, girlfriend," she simply said and walked away.

Around the corner, Chad, confused about Sonny's suddenly evasive behavior, was trying in vain top get her to talk to him. "Sonny, wait, why are you...?

"Can't talk, Chad," she replied without stopping and sprinting into a classroom. "I'm in a hurry."

Chloe walked next to him and watched in bewilderment. "What's going on with these guys, Chad?"

"I wish I knew," he answered in a distraught fashion. "I don't get why my texts to Sonny have gone unanswered as well."

A little later on, Tawni peered into the classroom that Sonny had gone into and saw an opening. When Zora walked by, Tawni grabbed her and had her look into the room. "Check it out, Zora. Without Chad, Sonny's falling apart, wanting to talk to her sweetheart so badly." Sonny was trying hard to concentrate on her schoolwork, but kept dreamily and sadly looking at her phone which had Chad's picture on it. "Ready to chicken out?"

"No, not at all," Zora answered hastily, knowing what she was trying to do. "I can find other fun places to hang out besides my two favorite hideouts. Not hard one bit."

Just then, Nico came barging in with a vengeance. "Guys, how much longer do we have to do this? I'm really itching to play my game again." He was talking as though he were in the middle of rush hour traffic on a hot day, wanting to get home after a long day at work.

"You're telling me, man," Grady said coming out of the classroom and going towards the set. "I'm starving and my hankering for my meatball sandwiches is stronger than ever."

"There are other things to eat than that, you know," Zora softly said.

* * *

During lunch, the Randoms all sat down with each other. Behind them, the MacKenzie Falls cast was eating and one of them was in a playful mood. He flung some of his cinnamon sugar oatmeal towards Tawni and it splashed on her dress. She was furious, but she let it go. But when two more spoonfuls landed on her, the top almost came off.

"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU... " she started screaming as she turned around. Realizing her competitors were around her, she let her cool head prevail and took a deep breath.

Sonny got her food and went to the prop room to eat. Chad kept chasing her, almost demanding an explanation as to why she was doing this to him. "Sonny, wait. I just want...

"Chad, it's not you," she quickly answered while walking, not making eye contact with him. "I have issues right now that I need to deal with."

"But you know you can tell me anything."

"Chad, I don't know what her problem is right now, but you probably shouldn't get involved," Zora softly said while escorting him back to his seat while Sonny made her way to peace and quiet with her lunch.

Meanwhile, Grady, deep in meatball withdrawal, nibbled weakly at his sandwich. "Steak and cheese is good, huh? Kinda tastes like meatballs." He wanted any kind of meatball so badly he could taste it.

"Forget the meatballs, Grady," Nico said, attempting to tease him into losing. "Here, try this." He put a dish into his friend's face.

Grady felt insulted as he tried what was on the platter. "Spaghetti and tomato sauce. No meatballs?"

He didn't want that, so without thinking, he threw the plate Frisbee-style across the room. It landed right on the front of Tawni's dress after the back had been covered with oatmeal. This sent her over the edge as she sprinted towards Grady with some spaghetti in her hands and stuffing it in his mouth and making him eat it. As she did, she screamed and caused a scene.

"There you go, ITALIAN BOY! Eat as much of this as you want! You and the Falls ruined my pretty dress and my sense of style! There, I said it!" Realizing what she had done, her eyes opened wide and gasped. "Oh man, I'm out!" She broke down and cried as she ran off to change and take a shower.

A/N: More to come shortly.


	3. Two Down, Two to Go

**_Scoreboard:_** _Still alive:_ Sonny, Nico, Grady, Zora. _Eliminated:_ Tawni.

* * *

The next day after rehearsals, the Randoms got ready to go out for pizza together. Of course they had to keep a close eye on Grady and make sure he wouldn't eat something he wasn't supposed to. While everyone else was outside all ready to go, Sonny was still in the prop room getting her things together. She instantly got sidetracked when she saw Chad walk past the room.

Sonny really began feeling guilty about the whole thing, so she forgot all about the bet and walked out of the room towards him. "Chad, wait up."

He didn't feel like getting let down by her again as he kept walking towards his set. "Haven't you ignored me enough? I thought I should do the same to you."

She wasn't going to give up. "Come on, Chad, just hear me out. Please!"

Reluctantly, Chad stopped in his tracks and turned towards her. "OK, fine. What is it?"

"I want to apologize for my behavior towards you lately. It wasn't fair to you and I deeply regret it."

Chad was glad to hear her say this, but felt suspicious. "Why did you do it then? Is there someone else?"

"No, I swear there's no one else. I was pressured into a bet with my castmates to cut ties with you. They all had to give up their own annoying habits."

"That's stupid. Why did you go along with it?"

"I don't know. It was ridiculous."

He thought for a moment and remembered that she was always true to her word. "Well, I forgive you."

"I'm glad you do, hun." The two enveloped each other in a long hug.

"Just don't do something that stupid again," Chad told her when they let go of each other.

"I promise I won't. I'll be more careful next time."

Nico came back in after waiting a while for her outside. "Sonny, what's the holdup?" His eyes widened with amusement and joy when he saw the two of them together. "Gotcha! You're out of the bet!"

"I don't care. I just couldn't take the suspense and guilt of holding out anymore."

"Well, you probably will care that you're not gonna be rich now!" After sticking that to her, he laughed and went back outside to the other Randoms.

Sonny remembered that part of it. "Aw man!"

"What's wrong now?" Chad asked.

"I'm not going to get everyone else's money for the week. That was the payoff for the bet."

Chad didn't know how to respond to this. So he simply said, "Maybe you should go with them right now."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews and alerts everyone! Keep them coming!


	4. Three Down, One to Go

A/N: So sorry for the long wait everyone. I've been super busy with everything and I had writer's block as well. But I'm finally back with updating this story. And if you want my opinion, I don't see the So Random! series lasting longer than a season. What do you think?

* * *

Scoreboard: _Still alive:_ Zora, Nico, Grady. _Eliminated:_ Tawni, Sonny.

A few days had passed without any eliminations on the Random bet. A few attempted manipulations on each other had occurred, but the cast mates were all wise to the tricks.

On a lunch break during shooting, it became apparent the bet was taking its toll on a few of the actors. While in line to get his food, Grady looked longingly at pieces of pork that were molded into what looked like round-shaped meatballs. He reached for the tongs that were next to the tray and started to pick one up.

"I don't think you wanna eat that, Grady," Sonny warned him as she grabbed her food next to her. "It may count as a meatball."

"I know but it just looks so enticing. I really miss my meatballs."

She looked around the choices and saw an alternative for him. "Why don't you have this instead, a chicken calzone? It has a different kind of meat and it will fill you up quite well." She was out of the wager, so she started to sympathize with him.

"Yeah I guess you're right," he dejectedly replied. "Let's take it." He placed it firmly on his tray and headed towards the table where the Randoms ate, sitting next to Zora who was longing to go back to her hideouts.

"Hey, Grady how's it going?" she sadly greeted.

"Not good," he answered, taking a nibble at the calzone. "Do you realize how deep into meatball withdrawal I am?"

"I can see it on your face and in your eyes, but…"

"Who knows what kind of syndrome I'll come up with if this goes on much longer?"

Meanwhile, over by the dessert station, Tawni approached Sonny with a magazine. "Can you believe this, Sonny?" she alarmingly asked her. "Tween Weekly thinks I should go brunette in order to get people to think I'm attractive! I thought that editor learned her lesson!"

Sonny didn't quite know how to respond to this. "What's wrong with being blonde?"

"That's exactly what I ask myself."

They went over to their cast mates at the table and sat down with their food.

"Zora, what's going on?" Sonny noticed her downcast mood.

"Not much, I just wish I had somewhere to go this weekend," the youngest one answered. "I'm getting bored of hanging out all the time in the prop room."

"Well hey, the bet's only down to three people including you, so don't give up."

After a few minutes, Nico came into the cafeteria with a few girls from one of the other shows. He was laughing hard and socializing well with the girls.

"So get this," he started to tell them. "Mr. Condor asked me to go on MacKenzie Falls next month because I have the best personality for an enemy guest star. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"It sure is," one of the girls answered. His cast mates were all skeptical, but Grady had a hunch. He kept his eye on him as he got food.

"And as if that's not enough, he thinks Chad Dylan Cooper, or MacKenzie, and I will hit it off on camera and be best buddies on set!"

"Wonder why he's so happy about that," Sonny wondered aloud.

"I don't know but something is fishy about his mood," Grady said.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been moping all week long and now he's suddenly so bright and cheery," he replied with a determined voice. "Something's just not right with that."

"Grady, I think you're overanalyzing."

"Or am I?"

Nico had gotten his food and sat down with his mates, saying goodbye to the girls as they walked back to their show's set. "OK, I'll see all you girls later."

"Nico," his best friend started. "What's happening?"

"I'm just getting ready to guest star on MacKenzie Falls as one of the villains. How cool is that?"

"Is that why you're in such a happy mood?"

"Yeah, I guess." Nico's heart began to rise into his throat and he started to sweat a little.

"Because is there something else you have on your mind at the moment?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, G."

"Answer the question, dude." Grady's voice was rising with every word.

"Grady, what is going on?" Sonny demanded.

"Silence! I'm onto something," he shot back to her, then turned his attention back to his friend "Empty your pockets."

"What?"

"Empty your pockets!"

Reluctantly, Nico did as he was told and he hyperventilated as he did. While looking into Grady's stone cold stare, he let his guard down and conceded his video game, which Grady turned on and saw the screen say 'Start Level 9?'

"AHA! I knew it, you've been working hard to complete Level 8 behind our backs!"

"I know." His face had a look of defeat written on it.

"So you know what that means: You're out of the bet!"

"Don't rub it in. I couldn't help it. I've been away from it too long and I didn't want to forget how to win."

"But you lost the bet," Grady put his hand down defiantly and an embarrassed Nico took his food out to the prop room.

Tawni, Sonny and Zora looked at Grady surprised that he was able to do that. He shrugged at them and said: "Well, serves him right."

* * *

A/N: So it's now down to the last two: Grady vs. Zora. Who will win the bet? You'll find out shortly.


End file.
